Publications by authors named "Chantal Wiepjes"

Article Synopsis
  • A study examined the prevalence and risk factors of acne in transgender men undergoing gender-affirming masculinizing testosterone therapy (GATT) from 2010 to 2019, involving 323 participants.
  • The findings revealed that the prevalence of moderate to severe acne increased significantly from 11.8% to 39.1% within the first year of GATT.
  • Key risk factors for developing moderate/severe acne included having a body mass index (BMI) over 25, being younger (ages 18-25), higher testosterone levels, and pre-existing acne, suggesting important considerations for healthcare providers when counseling patients.
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Objective: Bone mineral density (BMD) Z-scores decrease during puberty suppression in transgender youth. Assessment of treatment impact has been based on the assumption that without intervention, BMD Z-scores remain stable. However, the natural course of BMD in this population is unknown.

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Context: Skeletal dimensions vary between sexes. Men typically have broader shoulders and women a wider pelvis. If gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) with or without prior puberty suppression (PS) alters these dimensions in transgender individuals remains unclear.

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Context: Breast development is an important outcome for trans women receiving gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). Limited breast development has been reported, possibly because of testosterone exposure during puberty. The impact of puberty suppression (PS) on breast development is unclear.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), liver fat content, and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, 5,690 women (53%) and men (47%) without preexisting diabetes were included and followed for incident T2D. SHBG concentrations were measured in all participants, VAT was measured using MRI, and liver fat content was measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a random subset of 1,822 participants.

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Three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques are promising new tools for measuring breast volume, for example in gender-affirming therapy. Transgender individuals can be treated with gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). A robust method for monitoring breast volume changes is critical to be able to study the effects of feminizing GAHT.

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Background: Knowledge regarding the effects and side effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) in adults is rapidly growing, partly through international research networks such as the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI). However, data on the effects of puberty suppression (PS) and GAHT in transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth are limited, although these data are of crucial importance, given the controversies surrounding this treatment.

Aim: We sought to present a detailed overview of the design of the ENIGI Adolescents study protocol, including the first baseline data.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in transgender individuals compared to cisgender individuals of the same birth sex.
  • It analyzed data from 22 studies, finding that transgender women had a significantly higher incidence of stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE), while transgender men also showed increased risks of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI).
  • Overall, transgender people exhibited a 40% higher risk of CVD than their cisgender counterparts, highlighting the need for better cardiovascular risk management and further research on related socio-economic and lifestyle factors.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Women generally experience higher rates of depression and differing symptoms than men, potentially due to sex hormones, which is also relevant for transgender individuals using Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy (GAHT) who face elevated depression risks.
  • - A study with 110 transmasculine (TM) and 89 transfeminine (TF) participants analyzed depressive symptoms before and after 3- and 12-months of GAHT, identifying four symptom clusters: mood, anxiety, lethargy, and somatic symptoms; findings indicated TM showed improvements in lethargy while TF reported a slight increase in low mood.
  • - Limitations of the study include a small follow-up sample size after 12 months and the absence of important
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  • The study examined body composition changes in transgender adolescents undergoing puberty suppression (PS) and gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), involving data from 380 trans boys and 168 trans girls.
  • Results showed that trans boys experienced a decrease in lean mass and an increase in fat mass during the first year of PS, while trans girls had gradual changes in both lean and fat mass over three years of PS.
  • During GAHT, trans boys had a significant increase in lean mass and decrease in fat mass in the first year, but trans girls showed minimal changes in body composition over the same period.
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Background: Feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) for transgender individuals traditionally includes estradiol and androgen deprivation. Research has demonstrated that breast size as a result of GAHT in transgender women is often limited. Therefore, transgender women often choose to undergo breast augmentation surgery.

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Importance: Bone mineral density (BMD) z scores in transgender adolescents decrease during puberty suppression with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist. Previous research found that after short-term use of gender-affirming hormones (GAH), pretreatment z scores were not restored. Long-term follow-up studies are lacking.

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Background: Men with CKD tend to experience a faster eGFR decline than women, potentially because of sex hormones. Limited research exists regarding the effect of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) on kidney function. Furthermore, monitoring kidney function during GAHT is challenging because serum creatinine is confounded by body composition.

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Objective: Treatment in transgender girls can consist of puberty suppression (PS) with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) followed by gender-affirming hormonal treatment (GAHT) with estrogen. Bone mineral density (BMD) Z-scores decrease during PS and remain relatively low during GAHT, possibly due to insufficient estradiol dosage. Some adolescents receive high-dose estradiol or ethinyl estradiol (EE) to limit growth allowing comparison of BMD outcomes with different dosages.

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Background: The stressful minority position of transgender persons may result in a high risk of psychosis. Conflicting data suggest that the observed risk depends on setting of recruitment. We assessed the relative risk of non-affective psychotic disorder (NAPD) in a large, representative cohort of transgender persons.

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Patients with severe infection have an increased risk of cardiovascular events. A possible underlying mechanism is inflammation-induced platelet aggregation. We investigated whether hyperaggregation occurs during infection, and whether aspirin inhibits this.

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Study Objectives: Transgender persons can use gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) to align their physical appearance with their identified gender. Many transgender persons report poor sleep, but the effects of GAHT on sleep are unknown. This study examined the effects of a 12 months of GAHT use on self-reported sleep quality and insomnia severity.

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Objective: Interpreting laboratory results for transgender individuals who started hormone therapy requires careful consideration, specifically for analytes that have sex-specific reference intervals. In literature, conflicting data exist on the effect of hormone therapy on laboratory parameters. By studying a large cohort, we aim to define what reference category (male or female) is most appropriate to use for the transgender population over the course of gender-affirming therapy.

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Background: Development of skin cancer, in particular melanoma, has been linked to sex hormones. We aimed to determine the incidence of skin cancer in transgender individuals receiving gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT).

Methods: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, clinical information of participants who visited our clinic between (the years) 1972 and 2018 and received GAHT was integrated with national pathology and cancer statistics data in order to assess skin cancer incidence.

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Background: Twenty years ago, the Dutch Protocol-consisting of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) to halt puberty and subsequent gender-affirming hormones (GAHs)-was implemented to treat adolescents with gender dysphoria.

Aim: To study trends in trajectories in children and adolescents who were referred for evaluation of gender dysphoria and/or treated following the Dutch Protocol.

Methods: The current study is based on a retrospective cohort of 1766 children and adolescents in the Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria.

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Background: In the Netherlands, treatment with puberty suppression is available to transgender adolescents younger than age 18 years. When gender dysphoria persists testosterone or oestradiol can be added as gender-affirming hormones in young people who go on to transition. We investigated the proportion of people who continued gender-affirming hormone treatment at follow-up after having started puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormone treatment in adolescence.

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Background: Initiating feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) in transgender women causes a steep decline in serum testosterone. It is unknown if testosterone concentrations change further and whether adrenal androgen levels change during feminizing GAHT and after gonadectomy. This limits clinical decision making in transgender women with symptoms attributed to GAHT or gonadectomy.

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Context: Growth is an important topic for many transgender boys. However, few studies have investigated the impact of puberty suppression (PS) and gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) on growth and adult height.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of PS and GAHT on growth and adult height.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transgender girls undergoing treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) and gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) have their growth patterns altered, with growth slowing during GnRHa and speeding up during GAHT.
  • A study involving 161 participants found that after regular-dose treatment, the average adult height was slightly lower than the predicted adult height, but close to the target height.
  • Higher doses of estradiol and ethinyl estradiol were associated with reduced adult height compared to regular doses, indicating the need to balance growth reduction with potential side effects.
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Literature on the efficacy and safety of gender-affirming hormonal treatment (GAHT) in transgender people is limited. For this reason, in 2010 the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study was born. The aim of this review is to summarize evidence emerging from this prospective multicentric study and to identify future perspectives.

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